The ACHA Service to Catholic Studies Award recognizes outstanding service to the field of Catholic studies.

The ACHA is delighted to bestow the 2026 Distinguished Service Award on the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. The NCPD was founded in 1982 to work toward the implementation of the 1978 Pastoral Statement of the US Catholic Bishops on people with disabilities. The NCPD’s mission is to advance the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the Church and society.

To that end, the NCPD provides resources and training to assist parishes, schools, and other Catholic institutions become more accessible to people with disabilities; engages in advocacy and policy work to raise awareness of the full spectrum of disabilities and remove barriers to access; and supports families, individuals, ministers, and caregivers to ensure that people with disabilities aren’t just included in the Church but welcomed as full and important members of faith communities. Rooted in gospel values that affirm the dignity of every person, the NCPD works tirelessly to develop tools and materials that assist in the work of integration and acts as the connective tissue that unites parishioners, teachers, caregivers, catechists, and others together around the common goal of creating a Church that has room for everyone.

As teachers and caregivers and people with disabilities know all too well, the extra labor that goes into creating the conditions for full inclusion and meaningful participation in settings both large and small often goes overlooked—but it makes an enormous, indeed life-changing, difference in the lives of everyone involved. I am so pleased to recognize the NCPD for its commitment to this important work with the ACHA Award for Distinguished Service. Thank you for all that you do.